Oil vaporizer and converter



-Aug.4 l1, 1931.

c. Bk. WATSON ET AL OIL VAPORI-ZER AND CONVERTER Filed,l Feb. 21

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Patented Aug. 11, 1931 UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE:`

CORNELIUS B, WATSON ANID`AUDLEY E. HARNSBERGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AS-

-SIGNORS TO THE PURE OIL COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO OIL VAPOBIZER .ANDA CONVERTER Application filed February 21, 192s.- serial No. 256,044.

The present invention relates to a combined oil vaporizerk and converter wherein both the vaporizing and converting sections of the furnace are arranged within a single setting or housing and wherein is provided a novel arrangement of the oil vaporizing tubes and the converting tubes of the furnace for the purpose of obtaining the maximum benefit of the heat developed within the furnace. e

The present invention provides an oil heater or furnace which is particularly applicable to vapor phase methods ofl convertin relativelyhigh boiling hydrocarbons into hydrocarbons of lower boiling point. In most vapor phase systems of oil conversion the vapors while Iundergoing decomposition are heated to a temperature in excess of 500 cent. It is therefore necessary to provide a highly eiiicient' type of heater or furnace for the purpose of securing the necessary operating temperatures and at the same time to make the most effective use of the heat generated so that the system may be operated economically from a standpoint of fuel consumption.

In accordance with this the present invention provides a heater or furnace which is so constructed that the fire, gases while at high temperature will sweep the vapor conducting tubes comprising the converting zone of the s stemin order that such tubes will be heate to rocure the necessary conversion reaction 1n the oil vapors passing.

through the tubes. Further, the furnace is so constructed that after the fire gases have A'swept by the tubes of the converting zone such `(gases will then be conducted to a secon section of the furnace which contains a plurality of tubes in which the/(oil under treatment vaporized preparatory to its introduction'into the converting tubes. By this arrangement the heat develo ed within the furnace is ei'ciently utilize in the performing of necessaryr operations so that when the fire gases are discharged from Vthe furnace the majorl ortion of the heat value thereof will have I en extracted and economically employed in the operation of the system.

Another object of the invention resides in forming the converting sections of the furnace so as to provide a combustion chamber, a primary tube chamber and a secondary tube chamber, the said chambers beine* separated by an intervening bridge wal By this arrangement the tubes in the prii tion of vfree carbon in the oil vapor entrancel tubes of the converter sections. Oil vapors at a temperature of approximately 650 Fah.

enterthe inlet passes f the converter tubes and it has been foundrthat by suddenlyand substantially instantaneously raising the temperature of these voil vapors from 650 Fah. to a temperature in excess of 1000 Fah. there will be little or no accumulation of obstructing or clogging carbon deposit in the inlet passes of the converter tubes.

For this reason such inlet passes are disposed in the primary chamber of the heater so as to be subjected to the radiant heat developed within the combustion chamber of the furnace. Since the rate of heat transfer byradiation is roportional to the fourth power of the di erence between the absolute temperature of the radiating and absorbing structures, it follows that; the temperature of the vapors entering the initialpasses of the converter tubes is rapidly raised to a conversion temperature in excess of 1000 Fah. When the conversion temperatures are attained the oil vapors then passinto the tubes situated within the secondary chamber, where the conversion -teruperatures are 4maintained for a deslred period of time.'

For a further understandin of the 1n-v vention reference is to be ha to the folpresent invention.

`Referring more particularly to the drawing the numeral 1 designates a furnace or heater particularly adapted for va or phase methods of oil conversion. The formed to include the usual setting or walls which are formed from a refractory material capable of withstanding the relatively high temperatures developed within the furnace. Broadly, the furnace is formed to include what may be termed a converting section 2 and a vaporizing section 3, the sections 2 and 3 being connected by means of a flue or passageway 4, permitting of the travel of the fire or furnace gases from the converting section, where the heat is generated, into the vaporizing section.

The converting section of the furnace includes an upright bridge 5 formed tol include side walls 6 and an arched top 7. The bridge divides the interior of the converting section into primary and secondary chambers 8 and 9 respectively7 which are united by a passageway formed between the top of the brid e and the to wall 10 of the setting. The ront wall o the settin is offset to produce a horizontally exten ing portion 11 which produces the top wall of a Dutch oven or combustion chamber 12 with which the primary chamber is in direct communication. l

Formed inthe wall 6 of the bridge which defines the back of the combustion chamber is an air passageway 13 which terminates in a horizontally extending communicating passageway 14 which is formed in the bottom of the chamber- 12. The passageway 14 terminates immediately adjacent to a burner structure 15, utilizing either gaseous or liquid fuel. Air enters the passageways 13 and.14 from any suitable source and is preheated by reason of the temperature of the walls surrounding the same. This preheated air is then delivered into the combustionv chamber where it actively interminles with thegaseous .or liquid fuel used or the urpose of promoting and facilitating com ustion. It will be understood that one or more burners 15 may be em loyed.

Arranged horizontally within t e chamber 8 is the inlet passof a row of convert-l ing/tubes 16, the outer ends of which being extended through the front wall of the setting and connected with a header 17. The tubes 16 ass through the bridge 5 and are connecte with a second bank of similarly `varranged tubes 18, which are situated'within the secondary chamber 9. It will be understood that the ends of the tubes comprising the bank 18 are connected with eaders or return bends 20 at their ends for the purpose of permitting of the uninterrupted circulation of oil vapor first through the tubes 16 and thencethrough the tubes compising the bank 18.

A er the lfurnaces gases the conurnace is' lthese tubes where, b

ing section includes an internal chamberv formed by the setting of the furnace'wherein is disposed a vertical wall 22 which divides the vaporizing section into a gas circulating chamber 23 and a tube chamber 24. The bottom of the chamber 23 includes a baffle wall 25 arranged adjacent to the outlet of the flue 4. Behind the baille 25 there is situated a burner 26 which may be used, if

necessary, to raise the temperature of the furnace gases entering the chamber 23. The burner 26 is in the nature of an auxiliary appliance and need not be continuously operated.

After passing through the circulating chamber 23, the furnace gases then flow as indicated by the arrows, in a downward direction, sweeping through a bank of vaporizing tubes 27 arranged within the charnber 24. After sweeping the tubes 27 the furnace Gases then in arelatively cooled state pass from the furnace'by way of the stack outlet 28, the latter being arranged at the bottom of the chamber 24.

In.the operation of the system the oil stock is forced into the'bottom tubes of the bank 27 and circulates upwardl reason of t e furnace temperatures, whic are approximately 1800 Fah., the oil is vaporized' and brought to a temperature of approximately 650 Fah. The oil and oil vapors then leaving the outlet of the tubes 27 pass by way of a pipe line 29 to a separator 30, disposed extraneously of the furnace. Within this separator superheated steam may be introduced as at 31. The introduction of this steam is, however, optional, since in certain vapor phase systems superheated steam is not employed at the time of conversion. Within the separator there takes place a rough or l of the pipe line 32. The lighter or vaporizedfractions, however, with the superheated steam, if the latter is used, pass overhead from the separator 30 and by means of a pipe line 33 are introduced into the inlet eader 17 of the entrance tube 16. The oilthrough vapors at the time when they are initially.

wit 'n this section ofthe furnace.

ve large extent the radiant heat develo I'd 1s quickly brings the tem erature of the oil and oil vapors to a critica convie/rsion tempera'- turein excess` of 1000 Fah. and' in operavtion the rise in temperature may be said to be instantaneous. By securing this sudden rise in temep'rature little-vor no carbon formation will accumulate on the inner walls of the tubes 16. The oil va ors then cir-l culate into the final bank o tubes 18 arranged in the convection heat chamber 9, where the oil vapor is maintained for a desired period of time at such critical temperatures to4 secure the desired reaction for the purpose of breaking down the oil into comounds suitable for use as Va motor fuel.

ollowing discharge from the bank of tubes 18, the. oilvapors are then condensed vand fractionally separated in any desired manner customary in refining o erations.

The furnace lends itsel without recirculation of the flue gases, air

, being drawn. throu h the rear combustion space wall and un er the settin thereby reheating the air and giving a s ortiame in the Dutch' oven to prevent ame impingement on the tubes 16.- However, vlittle difcult has been encountered in the: matter of tu e construction, since the coolest vapors enter above the high temperature furnace zone and also b the fact that these tubes 4 may be made o special materialsto resist the destructive action of the hi h temperatures. Theufurnace has the a vantage of being extremely'compact and `easy to coni trol. It will be understood that. its capacity n within said setting and so eect u ward movement of t e furnace gases secondary chamber there bein may be varied by placingany desired number of tubes in parallell horizontal rows and by placing any number of burners across the rin front. Y W at is claimed is: n

1. In an oil heater, a furnace .includinga setting, a brid e wall situated within said setting and dividing the latter into primary and secondary chambers, a burner situated ositioned as to chamber in a direction substantially parallel'or concurrent with the `flow of furnace gases through the secondary chamber. A

2. In an oil furnace, a settingformed to to operations I include conversion and vaporizing sections, said conversion section being formed to includecommunicating primary and seondar chambers, a bridge wall separating the primary. and secondary cham ers and spaced from the roof of said setting to admit of open communication between said chambers contiguous to the roof of the setting, a heat generator arranged within said setting and disposed to eiect upward travel of the ases of combustion throu h the primary c amber and approximate y downward travel of. Vsaid gases through the secondary chamber,

oil vapor 'conducting tubes arrandged openly in both the primary and secon ary cham'- v bers, a conduit connecting the lower portion l; of' said secondary chamber with said vaporizing section, a brid e wall in said vaporizing section and divi ing the latter into combustion and heating zones, means for passing oil and' oil vapor upwardly through the tubes in said heating zone in counter-current or opposed relationship to the descending heating gases, and means for passing oil vapor throu h the tubes in the secondary chamber o said conversion section in a substantially downward direction parallel with the ilow of combustion gases through the secondary chamber.

3. In an oil heater, a furnace including a setting, a bridge wall situated within said settin dividing the latter into primary and secon ary chambers, a burner situated within said setting to effect substantially upward movement of the furnace gases through the primary chamber and downward movement of such gases in the secondary chamber, there being a gas outlet rovided in communicating relationshi with the lower'part of the seondary cham er, a horizontal row of heat absorbing tubes arranged openly in the primary chamber, said tubes bein spacedfrom the roof of said chamber an supported by the upper bri ge wall, a communicating second bank of tubes arranged in said secondary chamber, andfmeans for effecting travel of the oil and oil vapor through the bank of tubes in the secondary chamber in a 'direction sub stantially parallel or concurrent with the flow of furnace gases through the secondary chamber. y

4'. In an oil heater, a furnace including a setting, a bridge wall situated within said settingand dividing the latter into primaryv and secondary chambers, the-upper end of 4said bridge wall being spaced from the roof of the setting, burners arranged in the lower portion of said part of said primary-chamber to Aeffect substantially upward movement of furnace stantially downward movement of the` furnace gases through the secondary chamber,

as outlet provided in comthere being a the vlower party of, the

munication wit lgases through the primary chamber-and sub'- secondary chamber, a single horizontal row of relatively spaced longitudinally extend-V ing tubes supported atA their ends in connection with the .front andback walls of said setting and havingv their intermediate portionsl supported by said bridge wall and a pluralityof horizontally arrangedtuhes disposed only in said seconda communication with and be ow said first named tubes, the lower tubes in said secondary chamber having their ends supported in connection with the rear wall of said settixl and said bridge wall.

testimony whereof we aix our signatures.

CORNELIUS B. WATSON. AUDLEY E. HARNSBERGER.

Lamela chamber in l y 

